The newspaper cites an open letter from the group as saying: "Because Leila Hatami is a well-known actress and has knowingly and deliberately taken part in the forbidden act of kissing an unrelated man and appeared in unIslamic dress in public, she is legitimising such behaviour."

Under Islamic law, wearing the hijab has been compulsory since the 1979 Revolution and the lack of it is punishable by fines, imprisonment or lashes. Additionally, a woman is not allowed to have physical contact with a man outside her family.